


Why Him?

by panthershabit



Series: Tony Stark Goes To Wakanda [1]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF T'Challa (Marvel), BAMF Tony Stark, Fluff, Hate to Love, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Humor, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Iron Man 1, Pre-Iron Man 2, Pre-Slash, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Friendly, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Undercover, even if t'challa does hate him at the start
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2019-10-03 20:38:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17290997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panthershabit/pseuds/panthershabit
Summary: It's 2008. T'Challa has been the Black Panther for one week when T'Chaka asks him to investigate Tony Stark, the billionaire who has just revealed himself as Iron Man to the world. T'Challa despises the man, but for the mission, he has to pretend he doesn't want to kill the man.





	1. The Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is partly based on Marvel's Black Panther Prelude.

One week. T’Challa had held the mantle of Black Panther for an entire week when his attention was diverted from his journey back from another mission. This time it was something simple, well at least for the Black Panther, and he had no issues in ending the skirmish between U.N. Peacekeepers and Congolese rebels. 

He’d rested in the pilot’s seat when it crossed his mind to update the Dora Milaje as well as his father of his success. 

“Inform my father that the rebel fighting near our border has been quashed.” 

 **_‘Actually, the king is asking for your immediate presence in his office.’_ ** 

The prince slowly removed his panther-themed helmet and furrowed an eyebrow. 

“Is that so...very well. Put him through to me.” 

 **_‘At once, your highness.’_ ** 

It was not long before his wishes were granted. 

“Baba?” He queried, seeing the contact image was none other than the king of Wakanda, and his father, T’Chaka. The elder man had refrained from giving his feedback of T’Challa as the Black Panther so a call like this was more than extraordinary. Usually, a member of the Dora Milaje would come to T’Challa and inform the prince if someone wanted a word with him. “How can I help you?” 

The monarch chuckled through the holographic image projecting from a singular bead and T’Challa could not be any more clueless. 

“Apart from defending my nation from the outside world? I need to see you in my office if you have the time. It’s rather...well urgent is not the way I would describe it, but it is worth looking into.” 

“Yes, Baba. I will be there shortly.” 

T’Challa flicked the single Kimoyo bead off and ceased the call between the two. Once his Royal Talon Flyer landed he wasted no time in getting changed into his traditional black floor-length tunic that was embroidered with silver patterns and instantly headed in the direction of his father’s office. 

Two knocks were enough for T’Chaka to say  _‘come in’_  and the king’s son entered the room upon hearing those words. 

His father seemed to be watching the news and T’Challa recognized the man whose image was projected on a single holographic wall in front of both of them. It was the Stark man who had asked his father, the king of Wakanda if they could use some of their lands as a testing site due to its isolation. Needless to say, King T’Chaka declined almost instantly. 

 **_‘The truth is...I am Iron Man.’_ ** 

**_‘This was mere hours ago, where Tony Stark declared to the world-’_ **

A single click stopped the broadcast and T’Challa gave his father a gentle smile, which was returned with a pleased smile.  

“T’Challa, you’ve held the mantle of the Black Panther for merely a week, and already you walk as if you’d been at it for a lifetime. I’m proud.” 

Hearing those words was more than an honor to T’Challa. As both the son and rightful heir to the throne, he made a vow to ensure every act he made would make his father proud – and those that did not would never happen again. A smirk escaped T’Challa’s mouth and he took two steps closer to his father’s desk. 

“But I cannot lie and say I do not miss it.”  

His tone voiced the sound of a man who missed the duty of protecting his nation. T’Chaka adored Wakanda and would never let anything put it in jeopardy. He could never grow tired of being the Black Panther and traveling across the globe to stop terrorism, trafficking and everything in-between. However, he knew his son was the rightful successor for the mantle. 

“ _Baba_ ,” T’Challa responded, bowing to display his greatest respects for his father and monarch. T’Challa never showed anything but the highest amount of respect for the man sat before him and if he ever caught anybody not doing the same, he’d pull them up on it. In his eyes, his father was a hero with or without the suit. 

“ _Nyan_. The good thing is now it enables me to focus on the greater vision of Wakanda,” T’Chaka began as the prince rose from his bowing stance. “Of course, I am still  _accountable_  should you be seen by the outside world.” 

His son showed a sign of confusion with his raised eyebrow and kept his arms firmly behind his back, carrying his regal posture as usual. 

T’Chaka moved from his sitting position and approached his son with one finger pointed out from the others, aimed towards the ceiling. 

“You were witnessed by a U.N. Peacekeeper. Would it not have been better had you incapacitated  _all_  of those engaged in the firefight? To maintain the secrets of our people?” 

T’Challa had been raised into a life of humility and was more than aware of the importance regarding Wakanda’s isolation from the remainder of the world and keeping it a secret. 

However, he was also sure of everything he did, so rather than apologizing he simply distributed another small smirk in the corner or his mouth. 

“Perhaps if I had been taught differently,  _Baba_.” 

That quip humored his father and a gentle chuckle bubbled from his throat before he moved his palm to the side of T’Challa’s face, which T’Challa returned by moving his own hand onto T’Chaka’s forearm. 

One of T’Challa’s best assets was his obvious lack of toxic masculinity – a perk many others had yet to learn. He cared not of what others thought, but only of what his family would feel about what he said or did. 

The prince was never shy to express his love for his father, or embarrassed. T’Chaka molded him into the man he was, and he would always be indebted for that. 

“You mustn't remind me so much of myself,” the monarch began. T’Chaka saw his son as a reflection of how he’d become the Black Panther – eager to help everyone and never asking questions other than how he could do it better. He broke from the touch and swayed his body to face the door, now facing his back to his son. “Have you watched the reports on Tony Stark?” 

T’Challa tried to disguise his annoyance by holding the eye roll but couldn’t hide anything from his tone. 

“Yes, the ‘Iron Man’,” T’Challa answered. He’d almost sounded sarcastic but then again, the man had watched the revelation on the way back from his mission and did not see the big deal. An ex-arms dealer bragged about being a hero once his stocks were losing value – an attention ploy at most was all it was to T’Challa. 

T’Chaka noted his tone and did not counter nor argue with it. In honesty, T’Challa’s opinion on the man was well earned due to the fact they’d discovered many weapons manufactured by Stark Industries being trafficked close to their nation. Not to mention how many henchmen T’Chaka had taken down who had utilized Stark Industries guns before. 

“He’s an impulsive man, driven chiefly by his emotions, and that can bring a lot of unwanted attention when left unchecked.” 

Every part of his statements was true but the younger man in the room had yet to understand the reason as to why this concerned him.  

“ _Baba_ , please excuse me, but I do not understand how this involves me. You do not believe I would act in a familiar fashion with my mantle of the Black Panther, do you? 

T’Chaka turned to face his son again and smiled. 

“Of course not,  _Nyan_. But this Stark man is making me feel uneasy about his responsibility. I must admit, I am not rather fond of the thought of a man who designed and sold weapons having access to this ‘Iron’ suit. Even if it were not his doing, someone else could steal or copy the design of the suit and distribute it...need I go on?” 

T’Challa frowned and pondered on the idea of it too.  

“No,  _Baba_. What would you have me do? Destroy the suit?” 

“Unfortunately, it is not as easy as that. This man has built a reputation for himself, which means a majority of his moves are precedented by the general public. Those...photographers, admirers, even enemies. Now that he has made himself public with this, his actions as ‘Iron Man’ will be direly monitored too - though I doubt it would have been a challenge to track him prior to the revelation. T'Challa, I need you to find out more about Tony Stark and his 'Iron Man' persona. Tomorrow morning, you will fly out to the United States and meet Mr. Stark, you have an appointment with him at three in the afternoon."

Suddenly T'Challa's head tilted and despite respecting his father he could not hide his disapproval of what he was hearing.

"Meeting? But I am the Black Panther, what will happen to Wakanda without its protector?"

"Wakanda will survive a few days without you. With the U.N. Peacekeeper spotting you, word will get around and outsiders will hesitate before visiting here. Should you take longer, I will seek help from one of the other tribes."

"Birnin Zana is one of many cities, _Baba_. Also, forget not the Border and River villages."

"You are the protector of Wakanda but do you not think I have raised it to defend itself without the Black Panther? I appreciate your concern, T'Challa, but your assignment is final. You will leave first thing tomorrow morning. I have told little Shuri that you're simply visiting Birnin Djata, so if she contacts you try to maintain the lie."

T'Challa grinned at those words, his little sister was so young yet she knew her way around a majority of the technology that surrounded her - the only ones she didn't understand were the ones her parents had hidden from her.

"I will, _Baba_. You know, she likely doesn't believe you."

"She doesn't, but she asked for a present so maybe stop on the way back."

The prince laughed with his father and sighed once it was over. 

"Good luck, _Nyan_. I trust you with this, and you have all my faith."

T'Challa bowed one last time for his king and hugged the monarch before making his way to the door.

While being escorted to his chambers, T'Challa had time to think about his mission. Tony Stark, the self-absorbed billionaire whose guns crossed the outside of Wakanda more times than T'Challa could count. The man who saw an isolated nation as a field to test his weapons on. With each point he pondered on, it made it more difficult to justify not killing him where he stood.

"Bast, this is going to be difficult."


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa prepares to meet Tony Stark, and Tony runs a background check on his visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to change T'Challa's alias from 'Luke Charles' to 'Thomas Charles' because one, that name links more to 'T'Challa' and two, I don't want everything to be referred to the comics. Tony's part is mostly dialogue so I apologize if that bothers you.

The following morning, T'Challa emerged from his slumber to find multiple members of his family's workers moving around in his chambers which took him by surprise. Still half-asleep, he groaned as he sunk his fingers into his eyes and squinted to make easier images of the population in his room. 

"Excuse me, can I help you with something?" He practically grumbled. T'Challa was one of the nicest people any Wakandan could ever encounter, but when it came to being woken up it was almost a different case.

The other workers continued moving his clothes out of his room and only one halted to answer the man's question. He was young, likely in his early twenties and T'Challa could see that he must have been a recent addition to the staff.

"My prince, King T'Chaka has instructed us to prepare you for your journey as you speak to him." 

T'Challa sighed and rubbed his temple as he raised up from the bed and sat forward. 

"Another meeting? This Stark man is irritating me and I have not even left the palace yet...thank you...?" the prince began.

"T'Shabi."

"Thank you, T'Shabi."

After his interaction with the worker, he was left alone to find something to wear and to his surprise, his tunics and Kente scarfs were absent from his wardrobe. The only pieces of attire that remained was a pair of black suit pants, a matching black blazer, and a white shirt.

The instance his eyes recognized it was a suit he picked it up and annoyance plagued his mind. He hated dressing outside of his traditional clothing, and only did so when he joined his father attending political matters - which he also despised. But his father had asked him to do this, and he knew the obligations he held as both his son and the Black Panther, not to mention that it was a regal demand from the king. 

T'Challa threw the suit on and watched the workers carry the last of his clothing down the opposite hallway as to which he walked down, turning left as they turned right. 

This time T'Challa knocked once and waited for his father to grant him permission to enter the room, which he did after two seconds.

"Enter," the voice behind the door said and once T'Challa strolled into the room the face beamed with a smile. "Ah, T'Challa. How is everything?"

"Fine, Baba," T'Challa assured after bowing slowly. When he raised his head his father was picking up a folder which T'Challa could only assume was for him. "What was it you wished to discuss with me this morning?"

Slowly, the monarch opened the beige file folder and pulled out a white sheet of paper which featured a picture of T'Challa on it. The prince recognized it as a photo he'd taken at the British Embassy a year ago when his father and a few other monarchs were invited. Of course, the hosts and some members of the event pushed to know more about the seemingly poor nation which had a king and prince who looked richer than everyone in the room but it was to no avail.

"For the sole purpose of keeping our home a secret, you will be meeting Mr. Stark under-"

"Baba, you are a king. Surely addressing him as ' _Mr_. Stark' is not necessary."

"T'Challa...," the king grinned. "Do not lose focus. As I was saying, you will be meeting Mr. Stark under the alias of Thomas Charles, a former high school teacher with the credentials from Oxford University you actually did obtain. He believes you are the ambassador of Wakanda, and that you have come to discuss using his technology on our lands."

T'Challa quickly became confused and in a rare moment, doubted his father. It was one thing to go undercover for an assignment, but he did not wish to pander to Tony Stark's intentions for the sole purpose of gaining intel. For the moment he decided to bite his tongue and simply nod as a gesture for his father to continue explaining.

"One of the Dora Milaje, Okoye, will oversee the mission and the two of you will reside in the Wakandan Embassy. She will introduce herself tomorrow to you, do not take her lightly. She is one of the best warriors I have ever encountered. Take these and read through them, it'll give you a further understanding of what I'm asking of you."

Again, he nodded and this time he appreciated the gesture. T'Challa was aware of what the dangers were but still didn't understand why this much effort had to be utilized to investigate Tony Stark.

"Goodbye, Baba. Take care of yourself."

He hugged his father tightly and T'Chaka put in as much effort into the hug with a smile.

"You too,  _Nyan_. You too." 

 

* * *

 

Tony Stark enjoyed living in his mansion, especially when it came to being able to avoid everyone. Despite enjoying the party lifestyle and bringing home men and women of all kinds, he secretly relished in having some alone time. After all, most of the time his companions didn't bring him much excitement. The only people whose presence he truly appreciated was his bodyguard, Happy Hogan and his personal assistant, Pepper Potts.

But now he was in the Stark Industries Headquarters after hearing that he had a visitor coming to meet him.

"Uh...what time is it?" He moaned, rolling his eyes with severe boredom.

"Tony, it's only two o'clock...you still have another hour to go," Pepper explained with a humored smile. Tony's impatience could be amusing at times, especially now as he leaned back in his swivel chair with his hand over his face and his legs crossed.

Hearing that wasn't good enough for the billionaire and he sighed before sitting forward.

"What is it that people do to pass the time? Has being rich seriously put me out of touch?"

Pepper stood before the desk and shrugged her shoulders with her folder under one arm and a coffee in the other.

"Some people read books to pass the time," the red-haired woman suggested. Tony stood up and looked at the personal assistant standing in front of him.

"I graduated at the top of the class in MIT, plus I'm a billionaire. What much do I have to learn?"

"A different language?"

"Like what?

"Manners."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a language, Miss Potts..."

"Oh, it is for you, Mr. Stark."

The one thing Tony appreciated most about Pepper was that she wasn't afraid to tell Tony how she felt. Most of his employees would be scared to even assume what coffee Tony wanted and would ask him twice before getting it, but she simply told it how it was. Their back and forth conversation pushed a smile on his face.

" _Touche_. What are those things kids are playing nowadays, the 'box' thingy...?"

Pepper raised an eyebrow and gave him a curious expression.

"Tony, you're not talking about those Xbox things are you?"

"Do we have one?" Tony queried.

"No, we don't."

"Well, that's no good, is it?"

Pepper laid her folder on the desk and looked at Tony.

"Tony, you're not angry about the fact you don't have an Xbox, are you?" Pepper teased.

"I'm not angry, Pepper. I'm just disappointed," Tony shot back with a smirk and his arms folded. "JARVIS, run a background check on...?"

"Thomas Charles. Please don't do that at the meeting."

Tony snickered at that comment and shrugged his shoulders.

**_'Sir, I have run a background check on Mr. Charles and there's nothing alarming. He taught Physics in a high school in Harlem and has a Ph.D. in the same field from Oxford University. As the ambassador of Wakanda, he wishes to meet with you to negotiate on testing your technology on Wakandan fields.'_**

"But we stopped making weapons..." Tony added, raising an eyebrow. "He means the suit."

**_'I think it would be beneficial to consider it, at least the Mansion won't take any more damage.'_ **

"JARVIS, you're not my home repair contractor...but you could be right. Show me a picture of him."

A projected image of the man flowed in front of Pepper and Tony and Pepper couldn't miss Tony's eyes easing up if she tried. But it shocked her. Most of the times nobody could even get the man to bat his eyelids but Tony seemed heavily interested.

His brown eyes lingered on the screen with interest at the sight of the ambassador.

"Hm...a smart man. But why would he want to give me access to Wakanda now? What could I get in return?"

Pepper smirked and looked at Tony with an amused expression.

"As JARVIS mentioned, I won't have to hire someone to clean up your mess."

"So  _you_  get something in return, what do I get?"

"Oh Tony," Pepper sighed with a smile, shaking her head as Tony chuckled.

Tony gave the idea some thought, after all, it meant he could test his Iron Man suits discreetly. But he still wanted to know why his wishes had been considered after they had been turned down before. He crossed his arms, staring at the projected image of the smiling man and it was almost as if he was in a trance. The billionaire desired to know more about Thomas Charles, as much as he could. 

Then something crossed his mind. Nobody knew anything about Wakanda, not even the self-proclaimed but world-known genius could give any insight on the isolated country. 

"Information. That's what I can get."

 

* * *

 

 

T'Challa hadn't been in America for the longest amount of time, in fact, the moment they landed by the Wakandan Embassy in New York he had to get in a black Range Rover to avoid any suspicions. It wouldn't make sense for the ambassador of an apparently poor nation to arrive in an aircraft more developed than anybody had ever seen before, especially to Tony Stark. 

Okoye sat next to the prince and looked outside the window.

"Will you need my presence in the room or shall I wait outside?"

"Okoye, you are a member of the Dora Milaje and have served under my father for years now. You needn't ask me what to do," T'Challa smiled. He had a dire amount of respect for the leader of the Dora Milaje, she had served his father for a few years beforehand and had just been awarded leadership of the group.

" _N'Cos_ , T'Challa." 

There was not a doubt in T'Challa's mind of Okoye's capabilities. Despite only being the Black Panther for only one week, he'd watched the footage of his father and Okoye followed with the Dora Milaje fighting on the battlefield and it inspired him.

When the car pulled up, T'Challa had to admit he was impressed with the building in his sights. He could immediately recognize that it was definitely Tony Stark's. The giant silver  _Stark Industries_  sign in the middle of the front building impressed T'Challa, even if his palace had statues of panthers surrounding it to signify his family's legacy as well as his religion.

"I guess we are here," T'Challa spoke.

As the two of them exited the vehicle, a ginger-haired woman approached them from the glass door and gave a smile that didn't look forced. T'Challa had seen many faux greetings but this woman seemed to genuinely appreciate their presence.

"Hello, you must be Mr. Charles, thank you for coming today. I'm Miss Potts, feel free to call me Pepper if you want. Mr. Stark is waiting upstairs so if you'll follow me..." Pepper said with a wide smile. T'Challa nodded and Okoye followed behind as the assistant led them into the building. As his eyes moved around the room, he appreciated the aesthetics and design of the interior. "Tony's in his office right now, he's looking forward to meeting you."

T'Challa delivered a smile and continued to look around.

"I can't imagine a man like Tony Stark spends too much time in his office. Being the 'Iron Man' must take up some of his time."

T'Challa was satisfied and even proud of the fact his sarcastic tone wasn't present when addressing Tony.

"Well, that's Tony for you. Even when he's here, he's only here in body. His mind just goes straight to what to invent next."

They walked up the stairs and Pepper led them to the door. She knocked on the door and T'Challa prepared himself when he heard a voice respond.

"Come in!" The voice yelled enthusiastically. It had to be Stark. Pepper opened the door and the prince of Wakanda, the Black Panther, was ready to meet the Iron Man, Tony Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is a slow burn fic, but they will talk to each other in the next chapter I promise! If you enjoyed the chapter, feedback is always appreciated, as is kudos :)


	3. The Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa finally gets to talk to Tony Stark, and Tony likes what he sees.

After all this time, T'Challa was finally face-to-face with Tony Stark. There had to have been hundreds of ways T'Challa desired to start the conversation and they all played back in his mind as he approached the brown-haired man who was more than relaxed in his corporate black chair.  _Do you know the damage you have caused? Do you take any responsibility? How do you sleep at night?_ All of these were the ideal inaugural sentences to their conversation but he remained silent, simply offering a hospitable smile across his face as his eyes never lost contact with Tony. 

Tony extended an arm and returned the smile, pointing to the similar black chair opposite his desk.

"Please, take a seat."

T'Challa showed his gratitude with a nod and slowly sat down into the chair with grace. His regal posture maintained throughout his entrance and even as he sat he emitted a professional vibe which caught Tony's attention. Every other meeting he'd conducted had opened with a handshake, yet it almost seemed as if this man was waiting for  _him_  to offer his hand out. Whoever this Thomas Charles man was, he was impressing Tony already.

"Thank you."

Once the two of them were both sat Pepper closed the door to leave them alone and stood outside with Okoye. It humored T'Challa to think of how the conversation would go between the two of them. The last time Okoye had been left to discuss with other members of the public, she'd spoken entirely in Wakandan and a majority of the peers around her had been afraid that they had offended her.

Tony looked into T'Challa's eyes and saw no wishes to extend his arm so he kicked himself in his head and moved his hand out for T'Challa to shake.

"I'm Tony, but I guess you already know that," he grinned, boasting at his fame and once his hand was out T'Challa smiled back at him and met his hand with Tony's to show the mutual sign of respect. "It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," T'Challa started, returning his hand back to the sides of the chair once he leaned back into it. It took a lot for a prince of such a successful and prideful nation like Wakanda to refer to a man he despised as 'Mr'. If he'd not been so invested into the mission, T'Challa would have most definitely gritted his teeth as he said it. But T'Challa had been raised to put the mission first and his emotions second. "The honor is all mine."

There was something about the way Tony looked at him that intrigued T'Challa. His smirk didn't seem to fade away and T'Challa couldn't distinguish whether or not it was because of his confidence or if it was the prince himself causing the expression.

Tony crossed his arms and made himself comfortable in his chair, resting his back against the soft material and continued to look at T'Challa.

"So, Mr. Charles-"

"Please, Thomas will be fine," T'Challa insisted with a welcoming smile. Tony took notice of his smile and nodded. His accent was thick but Tony could make out every word clearly. His eyes were the same color as Tony's, only darker, and had a gentle touch to them.

"- _Thomas_. Pepper tells me that you're interested in renting out some soil for my use."

T'Challa did not appreciate the way Tony had said that in the slightest bit. 

"I'm afraid we will not be simply 'renting it out', in exchange for you testing your Iron Man suit in Wakanda, we would appreciate it if you could deliver some insight on its creation."

There was no way around it. Despite being told it was an 'only Tony gets something out of the deal' situation, T'Challa identified that simply using Wakanda as a testing field wouldn't be enough for Tony to talk to him. The man would just test it, leave and do the same thing over and over again. So as much as it was difficult to go against his father's wishes, he knew it was for the greater good.

Tony listened to the entirety of T'Challa's explanation and furrowed a brow once he was done. He hadn't heard about that in the initial agreement, in fact, he had just been confused about what they gained from the situation. Now the ambassador was in front of him and the plans had changed.

"Oh, is that so? It's just that my personal assistant said something else about the agreement, that didn't include me showing the designs of my suit."

"That is certainly odd, Mr. Stark-"

" _Tony_ , please. Mr. Stark was some guy living with my mother."

"That is certainly odd, Tony. I wouldn't expect the personal assistant of Tony Stark to make an error."

The instance that left T'Challa's mouth he was angry at himself. That sentence could have jeopardized everything but instead, it made Tony chuckle and he leaned forward, braiding his fingers together and resting the combined hands on the desk. Now he looked both humored and confused.

"I don't recall saying she was wrong."

T'Challa swiveled his head around to look across the office. It was definitely sizable and was even good to look at. Giving himself time to think about what to say next, his eyes reunited with Tony's.

"My apologies. But, that is the offer we are making to you, Tony. Wakanda has many open fields for you to test your suits and their updates on. I just ask that in return, you visit the Wakandan Embassy and share some information with me."

It may have just been Tony's ego, but the way the ambassador looked at him almost made it seem like a personal invite. Still, regardless of whether or not it was just in Tony's head, the way the man talked to him enticed him immensely. Nobody had shown this much confidence towards the billionaire and Tony began to feel as if the Wakandan had already put it in his mind that it was a done deal, that Tony would say yes.

So Tony decided to have some fun. He'd likely agree to Thomas' terms but not before seeing what exactly it would take to get a unique reaction from the man before him. Usually, in meetings, it took him correcting someone or even acting like a jackass to bubble a reaction, but this time it was going to take something else. Something different to his prior tactics.

"Is that an invite to dinner, Thomas? I thought that was after we get to know each other," Tony smirked and T'Challa was taken aback by the comment. He'd never even expected a remark like that but instead of being offended he scoffed and let a grin crack across his face. For the first time, T'Challa didn't feel as if he was talking to a corporate asshole. Just an asshole, maybe a funny one at that.

"Well, we make the best food so I must implore that you try some on your visit. I'll ensure that some of the best dishes are made for your arrival."

Tony placed his finger on his chest, pointing to himself with a faux shocked expression on his face.

"Just for me? Mr. Charles, it sounds like you're asking me on a date, going through all this effort. I wouldn't miss it for the world..."

Both of them laughed out loud and T'Challa scrunched his nose while holding his chest.

"I can read the headlines now,  _'billionaire inventor Tony Stark dates average ambassador Thomas Charles, almost chokes on rice at second meeting'_."

Tony fell back in his chair, laughing and T'Challa did the same. 

Once the last few chuckles were emitted, both men sighed and returned their eyes to each other. Looking again at T'Challa, Tony felt different about him. Like there was a definite connection. They could definitely work together as partners and to be honest, this was the most fun Tony had experienced in a while. 

"Seriously though, I have no objections to your deal whatsoever. If it's fine with you, I'd like to visit the Wakandan Embassy a few times before going to your nation - no disrespect, it's just I'd like to get to know the man taking me abroad."

"That's perfectly fine with me, Tony."

Tony's eyes appreciated the way his mouth moved when he said his name, and his ears envied to hear his voice say it again. In his mind, it was simply the fact that nobody had interested him in a long time and this was his lonely way of overreacting at the thought of some fun coming into his life. But then, as he looked at the man's smooth skin, his light stubble which almost matched Tony's defined goatee. 

Then there was his posture. It was empowering and demanded respect, which Tony had no quarrel in giving for him. His heavy, but smooth accent that made Tony want to hear its origin. Everything about this man seemed attractive to Tony but he didn't want it to be through previous boredom, that would just be downright cruel.

"Well, we've still got some time to talk. What's your story, Thomas?"

T'Challa looked at him and cleared his throat, thinking about what to say.

"There's not much, really," T'Challa chuckled. "I grew up in Wakanda, excelled in education and my parents and other educators deemed me intelligent enough to attend Oxford University. In all honesty Tony, I prefer teaching Physics in Harlem than doing this - not that I don't enjoy our conversation. I'm just not a fan of politics."

Tony became curious as to how someone who didn't enjoy politics became an ambassador for his country. But he was more interested in the man's story to think on it.

"How was teaching in Harlem?"

"It was certainly an experience. You see, the system gives up on kids in Harlem, it's simply expel them until there's none left and start again. But I refused to do the same. Everybody deserves the same opportunities, especially people of color. You know, there are probably fifteen black Tony Starks scattered across the United States who will never make it as you did."

Tony nodded and agreed with what he heard.

"True, but I wasn't given an advantage because of my skin color. Not that white privilege isn't real, it's just I was born into privilege with the Stark name. What were your students like?"

"They were...interested in Physics, that's for sure. Tony, you had to see their faces when they got something right, or when we were doing experiments. It made being a teacher so much better."

Watching Thomas explain his experience as a teacher made Tony smile and feel so good for some reason. It was nice to see how much someone cared about others, a virtue he had been reminded countless times he needed to learn. Maybe this would be the person to help him with that.

"That's really nice, Thomas."

"Thank you, Tony."

After a while, T'Challa decided it was time to leave and wrapped up the conversation by looking at his watch.

"Tony, I deeply apologize for giving you a life story this entire time, we must talk about your story when you visit the embassy. Thank you for your hospitality, it is much appreciated."

He rose from his chair to shake Tony's hand and when they looked at each other, another mutual smile formed between the two.

"Thank you, Thomas, for actually bringing excitement into my life," Tony said, slapping himself mentally for what he just said. "That sounded a lot better in my head..."

"Do not worry, I know what you meant," T'Challa promised. Tony was hoping that he didn't know what he meant.

They said their goodbyes and as T'Challa followed Okoye down the stairs, Pepper returned to the room to see Tony leaned against his desk smiling to himself. She could see the excitement on his face and despite feeling happy for him, still sighed.

"Tony, you're in love aren't you?"

"What, no! Of course not!" Tony exclaimed.

"So, you  _don't_  want me to arrange the next meeting between the two of you?"

"Well, I didn't say that, did I? That is your job, Miss Potts, isn't it?"

 _Yeah, he's in love,_  Pepper thought as she nodded with a smile. Tony thought the same thing to himself, doing the exact same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to say this, but if it wasn't obvious, the feelings are still unrequited :'( T'Challa is just starting to get along with Tony, the two still have a lot of work to do. 
> 
> Kudos and feedback are much appreciated :)


	4. The Awkward Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa explains the situation with Okoye and meets someone interested in Wakanda, while Happy accidentally puts Tony in an awkward situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly T'Challa-centric, but I hope the reason why explains it. Sorry for the late-ish update, I decided to move the intended chapter for the next update and wrote something in between the events, leading up to the next chapter because it seemed so random.

T'Challa ambled with Okoye out of the Stark Industries building and the journey to the car remained silent as T'Challa pondered on his introduction to Tony Stark. It was almost as if his expectations had been both broken and met; Tony had acted like he owned the world but also managed to get along with the prince to the extent where he'd forgotten for a brief second that this man was his assignment and that maybe they could have been partners.

Once the doors closed T'Challa sighed and rubbed his palms together, waiting for the driver to go. Okoye broke the silence once the car started to move and they were on their way back to the Wakandan Embassy.

"My prince, how did it go?" Okoye asked in her native tongue. T'Challa smirked as he looked at her and rubbed his eye. 

"I'd like to say it went perfectly, even with some minor changes to the plan."

Okoye almost seemed shocked with the statement but tilted her head.

"Changes, what changes?" She inquired curiously. 

"Nothing that will drastically change the plans. It would be suspicious if we sought nothing in return for our contributions, so I asked he showed us how the suit was made."

Okoye's expression read confusion upon hearing that and T'Challa leaned back into his seat, ready to hear what she had to say.

"He agreed? Just like that?"

"You seemed surprised. I knew a man of his ego would enjoy explaining it to us. You know why?"

"Why is that, my prince?"

"He does not believe we could replicate it. To Stark, we are a poor nation merely window shopping, watching how to cook something with no intentions or possibilities of getting all of the necessary ingredients. Once again, the outsiders who undermine our nation have yet to see what we are capable of."

Suddenly Okoye felt much more at ease and agreed with the royal family member. There was no doubt that no matter how curious people were about Wakanda, they simply assumed it was a struggling country with maybe one thing keeping them afloat, such as a secret gold mine. Little did they know their biggest imaginations couldn't even think of the smallest of what Wakanda had to offer.

"Plus, he knows nothing of where we come from. There's not one part of me which doesn't believe he didn't run a check on me before meeting me, so he knew where I was from before I told him. He wants to get as much out of me as he can."

"So, he thinks he is using you, and that you're getting the bad end of the stick? When really, you're using him, taking advantage of him and getting multiple benefits out of it with both the mission and the suit details? Excellent work, Kumkani."

"N'Cos," T'Challa thanked with a big grin.

 

* * *

 

  **THREE DAYS LATER**

 

* * *

 

As his eyes opened, T'Challa slowly realized he'd fallen asleep at his desk in the embassy and slowly shifted his body up from the desk to rest on the back of his chair. He let a small yawn creep from his mouth and looked around only to see nobody else in the room. One of the bodyguards must have noticed he was asleep and left him to his slumber uninterrupted. 

His eyes moved up to the clock and it was eleven in the morning. How he'd managed to fall asleep at his desk was certainly unusual, he'd only been researching into the recent incident at Stark Industries. Prior to his failure to stay awake, T'Challa wanted to look into what exactly happened in Los Angeles and why Tony's business partner Obadiah Stane had mysteriously disappeared with no insight of what happened to him. The building he'd met Tony in was still under construction and wasn't too far from various sightings of the 'Iron Man'. So T'Challa didn't buy any of the stories provided by the news.

With a stretch in his chair, T'Challa began to wake himself and looked around his new office - it was quite impressive. There were framed paintings of previous monarchs of Wakanda, and various artifacts attached to the walls rich with Wakandan history. Not to mention the desk itself was decorated with different trinkets that aesthetically pleased T'Challa.

Hopefully, nobody would notice the son of a king leaving the embassy in the same clothes he'd entered as but in his mind he doubted any of them would say anything. Once he was partially awake he left his office and said goodbye to the men standing outside his office as he made his way to the elevator. His Kimoyo band began to chirp and he tapped one to accept the call. It was Okoye.

'My prince, I heard you were resting and I did not wish to disturb you.'

"I appreciate that."

'If you are leaving the embassy, the security brought up a man who keeps standing outside. He's even asked to go in, maybe you could see what's happening?'

"Of course. I'll see you later on."

Surely Tony wasn't that eager that he'd try to get into the embassy this early on. T'Challa pressed the ground floor button and greeted everyone around him until he opened the door and noticed the man Okoye had mentioned, he looked just a bit younger than the prince and he didn't seem to be causing any commotion. Instead, he held a notebook and wrote in it as he looked at the Wakandan scriptures. His clothes were slightly loose on him and he had short dreadlocks tied back neatly. 

There was no need to cause a scene so he simply walked over the red carpet and watched as the man's head raised from his notebook.

"I hear you visit hear often. What are you writing about?" T'Challa queried with a welcoming smile. 

"Why, you scared I'm a spy or something?" The man with glasses teased. 

"Of course not," T'Challa chuckled. "I just admire your curiosity."

The man took to that well and nodded as he closed his notebook and held it to his side.

"I'm just trying to learn some history. Not many people try to learn about Wakanda's history because they can't find anything, but they just try to find answers about what it is now. They don't know that history is where you'll find your answers. You work here?"

Someone else who admired Wakanda's history. Who would have thought? T'Challa was impressed with his answer and looked at him again. 

"It's nice to see someone else take time in learning about my nation. All these politicians and presidents try to look for what we have but they never seek answers from museums or galleries. And to answer your question, yes, I am the ambassador of Wakanda, Thomas Charles. It's nice to meet you...?"

"Oh, I'm just a stranger, bruh," he smirked.

"Well, Mr. Stranger, I was heading for some coffee if you want to learn more about the country. That's if you have the time," T'Challa offered. He had nothing to do and needed caffeine so it wouldn't hurt giving someone an education in Wakandan heritage.

He could read the man thinking it over and he looked away while scratching the back of his head. Then he shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, why not? I could do with some energy before I go down to Hell's Kitchen."

T'Challa exchanged a confused look and the man chuckled to himself. 

"The less you know, the better."

 

* * *

 

Tony slumped in his chair twiddling with a mechanic cog in between his hands as Happy walked in and looked slightly nervous, more nervous than usual when there was something going on.

"Hey, Tony? Pepper's talking about Christmas and I didn't know what to say so I said you actually got her something this year."

When he heard that his energy spiked and he raised his eyes up to the bodyguard.

"You did  _what_  now? How-how did that even come up? It's the end of November..."

"I don't know, she mentioned the Christmas tree and putting presents under it, but I think she meant decorations but I said 'Tony's got you a few' and she said 'oh, really?' so I said 'yeah, they should be here tomorrow' and she was super excited."

Tony remained still and frowned at the stumbling bodyguard.

"You are aware of the fact you somehow said that all in less than eight seconds, right?"

Happy was sweating and looked at the door, walking closer to Tony. 

"Sir, she's coming right now. What are you going to do?"

"What, about the fact I have no idea what to even look for when it comes to presents and she thinks she's got a few? Hm, I don't know. Maybe  _buy_  them? All I have to do is find something and leave them by tomorrow. It can't be that hard, right?"

 

* * *

 

"So, what's the sunset like? In Wakanda?" Erik asked with a mouthful of sugar-glazed donut. T'Challa had found out his name when they ordered their drinks, and when he'd added some food to the order. For some reason, he felt comfortable talking to an ambassador with a mouthful of food, cheeks bulging and all. "I heard they were the most beautiful thing you can see."

T'Challa smiled to himself remembering all the times his father took him to see the sunset, even all the times he'd woken up and snuck there as a teenager. He'd taken his first girlfriend, Nakia, to see it on their second date and reminiscing on that didn't sting him as they had departed on good terms. Being the son of a king meant he was busy and he couldn't give the commitment she deserved so they ended it before anybody got hurt.

"They are incomparable. If you ever want to be at peace with yourself, that is the best thing to help you with that. Who'd you hear about the sunsets from?"

Erik looked down at the table, breaking his eye contact and cleared his throat as if the question was a soft spot for him. Perhaps he'd always wanted to visit Wakanda and couldn't because of his nationality. Nobody ever wanted to hear about something they could never have.

"I-uh-heard about it from a friend. He was from there."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Erik raised an eyebrow and stared at T'Challa. 

"Sorry about what?"

T'Challa took another sip of his coffee and noticed Erik's confusion.

"You said  _was_. I'm sorry, assumed he had passed, I didn't mean to-"

Erik seemed frantic when he'd heard that and stood up from his seat, almost knocking it back.

"Sorry, I've, uh, gotta go."

"Erik, wait, I-"

"Thanks for the talk!" Erik exclaimed, rushing out of the coffee shop and leaving T'Challa with a table full of half-eaten food with the exception of the coffee Erik had taken with him. T'Challa stood to after him but watched as he bumped into someone and ran away. 

"Oh, Bast..." T'Challa murmured to himself and he repeated it when he saw the man who walked past the window with coffee all over the side of his blazer. It was the brown-haired billionaire he'd seen only three days prior, Tony Stark. " _Tony?_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and feedback are always appreciated :)
> 
> I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed, I wrote it yesterday to fill in for what happens in the next chapter...also, I hope you enjoyed the Erik surprise to make up for the late update.
> 
> Note - After the fifth chapter, the story won't be updated for about two weeks to make sure everything fits in perfectly with the settings, characters, timelines, etc.


	5. The Coffee Stain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tries to get the coffee stains out and meets 'Thomas' in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes at the end will go into further detail, but as usual, feedback and kudos are greatly appreciated :)

Tony rushed the instant he stepped out of the car and huffed. He'd never had to worry about buying Pepper a present - or anyone for that matter in a long time - because of the assurance that each year, she would simply just buy herself a gift in her name. But now he was in the streets of New York because of his bumbling bodyguard who'd landed him in an awkward situation.  _What would she even want? What doesn't she have?_  were the thoughts running through his head and he failed to even notice a younger man sprinting out of a coffee shop until they collided and Tony had coffee spilled all over his black blazer. 

"What the - hey, kid!" Tony exclaimed as the man continued running and he groaned once he opened up his blazer to see the stains already forming and making their way through the blazer to his not-completely white shirt. All he could do was roll his eyes and pray that there was a suit shop nearby so he could buy a new one. When his eyes diverted to the flashing sign of the coffee shop, he figured he would dry himself off, get something to drink and try to get back on focus of what he would buy for his personal assistant. 

It never crossed his mind that _Tony Stark_ was walking into a coffee shop, most likely due to the fact he usually had Pepper get his coffees, and when he got past the door the people sitting at the tables and high stools, as well as those who sat at tables by the window on their computers slowly, began to raise their heads and realize that the billionaire genius Tony Stark was in the same room as him. Whispers turned into separate groups of people drawing out their phones to video or photograph candid shots of Tony and once he was aware of what was happening around him he merely smirked and ignored it, meaning his focus missed the prince who was watching him from a table not too far from him.

The barista who was stood behind the counter looked nervous and Tony tried not to smile at how funny it was that people acted as if he was a miracle or gift in their presence. There were many wealthy people in the world but for some reason, he garnered the most reactions. He asked where the restroom was and to leave it at any table as he knew nobody would touch something belonging to him, especially with that many people around. Once he made his way to the restroom, Tony sighed at the reflection of him standing with a large beige stain seeping into his once white shirt.

"Great...even when I try to be the good guy, bad things happen."

Before he could get back to his schedule of panicking in his head while acting like he was calm, Tony's phone rang and he recognized the caller as Phil Coulson, a contact added to his phone, not of his doing, but having left his phone laying around in the mansion when the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to welcome himself into the place. He'd heard of Phil helping Pepper so he wasn't too skeptical in answering the phone.

"Coulson. How can I help you?"

**_'Tony, I just wanted to recommend you rethink the offer of the Avengers Initiative. I know I'm this stranger to you but what Nick has planned, it's big. We could really use your help with this and it would be a shame to put the idea down straight away.'_ **

Tony paced back and forth slowly while listening to Phil's voice but it didn't seem to have an effect on him.

"Look, I appreciate you helping Pepper out and you know, helping bring Stane in but I'm just not into that whole thing, you know? I don't want to be some member of a hero squad where we all wear capes and run around the world. I'm my own guy, I'm Iron Man. It's not Iron Men, it's Iron Man."

' _ **I get that. But please, even if it's not now, just consider it. See the bigger picture.'**_

"Goodbye, Phil."

Tony ended the call there and now he was slightly irritated. What part of 'no' did people not understand? He was still going to save the world and avert as many destructions, takeovers, dangers etc. he could but he refused to work in a team. There was nobody out there with a suit like his, built with weapons and as durable as the Iron Man suit he'd designed so what was the point of having a team if he was a one-man team? To his knowledge, he was the only known hero with a suit in New York right now, even America.

He attempted to decrease the stain situation as much as he could but it was futile as a coffee patch had dried into his shirt. He opted to put the blazer on as a way to disguise it and left to collect his coffee and leave.

Once he'd left, he returned to the barista to ask about his drink and she pointed to a table by the window which when he looked at, he recognized the man sitting there.

"He said he knew you, to leave it with him."

It was the Ambassador of Wakanda, Thomas Charles, and Tony couldn't believe his luck. He was about to collect his coffee in front of an ambassador with stains all over his shirt. But he was Tony Stark, he didn't need to be embarrassed about a stain, that stain was lucky to be on  _his_  shirt. Tony made his way to the table and sat at it, turning the man in front of him's eyes up from his braided hands on the table. 

"Thomas, what a lovely surprise. What are the chances of this?"

T'Challa chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Not so large considering I operate in New York City and you operate in Los Angeles. How are you?" T'Challa asked. That accent. So deep and yet so smooth, it tantalized Tony's ears. 

"Apart from some minor coffee stains, very good. Well, no, I was still less than okay before that but you know..."

T'Challa grinned and looked at the stain, knowing that he had inadvertently been the cause for Tony's unfortunate incident.

"I must apologize for the coffee stains, I was talking to the man who ran into you and I think it was what I said that got him in such a hurry to leave."

Tony was humored that Thomas would take the blame for his incident but he also felt a bit uneasy about what could have been said. Were they going out? Had Thomas and this guy broken up and would he have to console him? It bothered Tony that he was this concerned about Thomas' personal life, especially when they had just met, but he still tried his best to convince himself it was because he was trying to be a good person and have other people's interests at heart.

"I'm guessing you don't wanna talk about that..." Tony alluded. He knew what he was doing and T'Challa raised an eyebrow, confused about why he'd wish to remain silent about something like that. It's not as if Tony had known about their Wakandan discussion. Unless...

T'Challa scoffed with laughter and shook his head, which pushed a smirk on Tony's mouth even if he had no idea why he'd done so.

"It wasn't anything like that, Tony. We were just talking about something...private."

Tony looked at him and pushed even more for an answer he didn't yet know he wanted.

"See, you say it's nothing like that and then you use words like 'private'..."

T'Challa never lost his smile and wondered why Tony was so interested in whether or not he'd been in a breakup. Perhaps it was just him being nosy but it didn't irritate T'Challa, just made him think more.

"I'm not sure how any of that would matter to you, but I assure you, I'm not interested in any relationships right now. I've only been in one before and need to ensure the person I choose can receive the commitment they deserve from me. I appreciate you not wishing to discuss it though regardless though, very honorable."

Upon hearing that, Tony took a sip of his coffee and had a guilty expression worn across his face. 

"Well, I'm an honorable man," Tony insisted and T'Challa found the remark almost hilarious as he had deemed Tony as less than honorable before they had even met. But to maintain their alliance he had to hold back his humored reaction and simply nodded.

"What was it that had you less than okay, if you don't mind me asking?" T'Challa asked.

"Ah...I need to get my personal assistant a present and I have no clue what to get her."

T'Challa could see he was clearly distressed and was raised to help anybody who needed it, regardless of prior interpretations. Plus, he hadn't exactly hated Tony at the moment, but that could change with even the wrong wording. 

"Perhaps I could be of assistance. I dated a marvelous woman in Wakanda and gave her a few gifts, maybe I could help you with your purchases."

He knew that this meant a lot to Tony and the woman he'd met at the Stark Industries building was clearly important to him. When Tony's face changed from shock to a wide smile he felt good to see how much Tony appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you so much, Thomas. I really appreciate it, I have no idea what I'm doing here."

Never in a million years would T'Challa expect to go Christmas shopping with Tony Stark but then again, he never had expected to have a conversation with him and not hate the guy completely. Whatever was happening between the two of them was certainly new to T'Challa and even if he did still hold a personal grudge over Tony, he wasn't completely cautious about forming a genuine friendship with the man. Seeing how much he cared for the Potts woman showed him that maybe Tony wasn't completely selfish. 

But there was still a long road to go down before they could become friends. And for Tony, he had an even longer road for what he was working towards.

"I'm glad to help. Do you want to buy a new shirt on the way?" T'Challa enquired, pointing to the stain.

"Oh, this? Don't worry, people will just think I had a _really_ good dream about coffee..."

T'Challa couldn't hold back his laugh and Tony joined him in their loud reaction to the innuendo. As they got up, people continued to take pictures of Tony and T'Challa couldn't help but notice, scowling for only two seconds at the thought of his photos being uploaded onto social media. But his scowl disappeared as soon as they left the coffee shop and Tony led them to their car. 

"Let's go for a ride..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the story won't be updated for two weeks while I go over it to make sure everything's good or if it needs updating. Hope this was worth the wait, and thanks so much for the support this story has gotten. Thank you to everyone who's commented, left kudos or even simply given it the time with reading it as I appreciate all of these immensely. Feedback always helps me write and motivates me just as much as the idea of giving you all a story you can enjoy and are interested in.


	6. The Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa gives Tony something to bring back to Pepper, and Tony gets caught staring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe two weeks turned into this long because of life, my apologies :'( but I hope the update is worth it, I'll definitely be updating this regularly (every one-two weeks) from now.

Tony sat idly by the car window, twiddling his thumbs anxiously as his mind stuck onto what he was going to get for Pepper. Enough people thought he was selfish anyway, so if Pepper thought the same he'd definitely feel like shit about himself. As his eyes trailed over the stores they passed, T'Challa noticed his uneasiness and cleared his throat.

"She must mean a lot to you," T'Challa started with a comforting smile. "It's nice to see you care about someone like this."

Tony's head turned from the direction of the outside of the window and he returned a grateful smile, appreciating the credit not many people sought to give him. 

"I do, even if I don't always show it. So, Thomas, tell me something. You said you 'dated' a woman before, are you still dating or...?"

The personal question caught T'Challa off-guard and he smirked in response as a defense mechanism for not having an answer for the billionaire. As Tony waited for an answer, T'Challa braided his fingers together and turned his head.

"Not at the moment. I have to admit, being an ambassador has kept me rather busy."

Tony nodded, understanding how a position could drive someone away from being able to do what they wanted to. He couldn't count how many people he'd invited to his mansion had waited as he got an idea to work on something in his workshop and ended up being led out by Pepper.

"I get that. Who needs commitment and affection when you have paperwork?" 

"Too right," T'Challa chuckled. "Besides, right now I have yet to meet someone who I could give a level of commitment to. It would be unfair to be in a relationship without actually being in the relationship."

Tony agreed with him and built anticipation as to what the two were going to buy.

"So, where is it you're taking me? Don't tell me the ambassador of Wakanda buys gifts from Victoria's Secret?"

His teasing smile and crossed arms only pushed a bigger smirk from T'Challa and despite his best efforts to disguise his humor Tony already knew he'd won.

"Mr. Stark, I am sure I have no idea what you are on about..." T'Challa denied, feeling his cheeks flush with heat as he grinned, keeping his head turned in the direction of his window.

" _Liar_ ," Tony smiled and T'Challa knew the silence between them would only give time for Tony to make another funny remark.

"Anyway, we are not buying something, I am giving you something to give to Miss Potts. I think that handmade gifts are better than bought presents, as it shows the recipient how much you really mean what you give them. Nobody spends hours on something they do not want to make special for someone, and when you get a homemade gift, you can see the time and appreciation in it."

With that, Tony nodded and waited excitedly as the car drove them closer to the Wakandan Embassy.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Tony noticed about the embassy was its elegant blend of oak, stone, and gold across the front of the building. His eyes could find impressive imagery wherever he looked, even the large trash cans were golden. Of course, it was nothing less than what he would expect from an embassy for it to look stunning but this was more than stunning. This was something not even Tony himself had seen in his life of traveling and luxury.

"Nice place, Thomas. You design it?"

T'Challa's mouth rose in the corner with an appreciative smile and as the two sauntered towards the entrance the man leading them turned his head at a slight angle so the corner of his eye just met Tony.

"I did not, no, but I have the privilege of knowing the man who did."

Of course, the prince was referring to his father, who'd designed the embassy initially as a location for War Dogs to collect information and report it back to Wakanda without traveling back or risk blowing their cover by communicating and getting caught. The building still utilized the War Dogs in New York and unbeknownst to Tony he'd actually seen a few as they entered the building and walked towards the elevator.

Once they were in, T'Challa stood closer to the door and Tony couldn't help but use the silence between them as an excuse to stare at T'Challa. Why? He had no clue but he thought it was probably how cool he actually found T'Challa. The man was wise, humble, his embassy was breathtaking and he was definitely attractive. Even the back of his head managed to capture Tony's attention and he felt guilty feeling as if the only reason why all of this was exciting to him was that it was different to the regular, boring people he'd met.

Nonetheless, he found himself gazing across the back of T'Challa's head, moving his eyes from the hair to the ears. They were smaller than his and... _why was he thinking about these things?_  He thought to himself. 

"Is there something on the back of my head?" T'Challa queried and it mortified Tony hearing the question. Before he could even wonder how the ambassador was aware of the shameless behavior he barely opened his mouth.

"Your senses are good for an ambassador. Sure you're not a spy?" He joked. Humor was always the best way to get out of an awkward situation.

T'Challa chuckled lightly and raised a sole finger to the flanks of the elevator door, which were silver and shiny on the sides.

"I cannot take credit for the reflection. But I guess you won't answer any other questions on the matter?"

"I won't," Tony responded quickly, almost embarrassed for the first time in a while. "But I didn't mean to be rude. My apologies."

"Don't worry, I take it as a compliment. I'll pretend it never happened though, to save you any second-hand embarrassment."

Great. Now the ambassador of Wakanda was teasing him and Tony wanted to bury his face in his palms for the remainder of his life. T'Challa, on the other hand, was practically clenching his teeth shut so he couldn't laugh. It was admirable to see a billionaire desperately try not to blush and when the door pinged as it opened, there was an instant sense of relief for Tony.

Walking to T'Challa's office, Tony couldn't help but notice the lingering smirk on T'Challa's face and it intrigued him. Was the Ambassador of Wakanda really taking it as a compliment? No doubt was in Tony's mind about the fact that T'Challa had probably heard praise about his features before, but the constant smirk made Tony believe that he almost enjoyed it.

Once they were in T'Challa's office, T'Challa rose his hand towards the direction of the chair in front of his desk as an indication for Tony to take a seat.

"Please, make yourself comfortable."

Walking over to his desk, he looked up at the shelves layered behind his workstation and tried to pick out something of his own personal collection for Stark. Why he was doing this made little-to-no sense to him but he wasn't a bad person and despite what he'd initially thought of Tony, he was actually warming to him, especially after their conversation in Tony's office.

But nothing seemed like a present for Pepper as a majority of the statues and ornaments were either inscribed to T'Challa himself or were too close to him for him to give to another person. Instead, he turned and picked up a small panther statue that he'd kept in his sight on the desk since he'd first arrived. The Black Panther had always been T'Challa's hero and knowing it was his father in the suit was even more inspirational to him.

Picking it up, he handed it to Tony and smiled.

"This should do. It's a priceless statue of a panther, as you can see, but in the night it glows a rich purple color that you could not imagine. Truly beautiful."

Tony held it in his hands and agreed that it looked interesting. In fact, he was slightly jealous of the fact he would have to give it to Pepper and not retain it for himself.

"Thank you, Thomas. This is amazing," Tony smiled back. "I hear panthers are very important in Wakanda's religion, so I know this means a lot to you."

T'Challa's head cocked from the sideways smile to look at Tony as soon as he heard that. Not many people knew about Bast outside of Wakanda and its religion was certainly not made public.

"You've done your research," T'Challa said with a furrowed brow and crossed arms. "I'm impressed."

"Well, Wakanda is one of the most secretive nations in the world. In fact, I think it might be one of the world's biggest secrets, so I wanted to know as much as I could about it."

Looking at Tony with an impressed expression, T'Challa sat in his chair and uncrossed his arms to braid his fingers together and place his hand on the desk.

"I'm appreciative of your interest in our culture and religion. I'd offer you some insight but I assumed you were in a rush to return home."

Brown eyes met brown eyes as Tony nodded, looking almost disappointed in the truth of the sentence. He had to get home to not only order the other smaller gifts - as Happy had so kindly mentioned multiple gifts - but also he had to change out of the coffee-stained shirt he was wearing and had forgotten about until now.

"Yeah...gotta get changed out of this. Thanks a lot, Thomas, really, not many people would go out of their way like this. If there's anything I can do to say thank you - "

"You just did," T'Challa smiled. "But feel free to visit the embassy more often. I'd prefer for it to be through friendship than through a deal we made."

Tony looked at T'Challa and chewed his lip with a smile which showed his failure to contain his excitement. 

"I'd love to. I'll leave you to your  _ambassadoring_  then, goodbye Thomas."

Tony stood up from his seat with the new present in his possession and shook T'Challa's hand as T'Challa returned a smile to him.

"Goodbye, Tony."

Once he was alone in his office, T'Challa sat in his chair comfortably, feeling a blend of feelings. Confusion, interest, humor, and shock at the fact that everything he had thought of Tony was slowly slipping away, and was being replaced with an unusual desire to see the man again. It was almost as if he wasn't on a mission, and enjoyed the presence of Tony Stark.


	7. The Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa tries to assure Okoye that it's all strictly business between him and Tony, even if she does not believe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those 'the other characters notice how the two main characters act around each other' chapters with a twist at the end. I hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> Kudos and feedback are always appreciated.

It had been a day since Tony Stark was in the prince's office and T'Challa sat comfortably, turning his wrist inwards to contact his father through his kimoyo band. With one tap, all T'Challa had to do was wait until his father answered the incoming call and it didn't leave him waiting long before he saw a projected image of the monarch emitting from a singular kimoyo bead. T'Chaka smiled through the image and T'Challa returned a smile to his father.

"How is New York, my son?" T'Chaka enquired excitedly. It seemed like forever since T'Challa had spoken to T'Chaka but he still wore a large grin as he spoke to the king of Wakanda. 

"It is good, Baba. I met someone who was interested in the history of Wakanda, even if he did disappear after a while. It was refreshing to speak to someone about Wakanda about its sunset rather than its secrets."

T'Challa recalled the moment he'd met Erik, and how he'd acted once T'Challa insinuated that his friend was dead. Perhaps the subject was still sensitive for the man and he'd been incredibly insensitive. At some point during his stay in New York City, T'Challa hoped to see Erik again and apologize for his poor choice of words, perhaps talk more about Wakanda.

"I wonder if his friend knew of us..."

T'Chaka was intrigued by T'Challa's curiosity and raised an eyebrow, maintaining his position of crossed arms. 

"What was his name?"

"Erik. Why do you ask?"

As soon as the prince had mentioned the name, it was almost as if T'Chaka had frozen. The monarch looked like he was clenching his jaw, uneasy about the name, but he shook his head and chuckled to himself.

"Is everything alright, Baba?" T'Challa asked with concern.

"Yes, it was just a thought," T'Chaka lied. "But an unlikely one at that. Anyway, how is your mission with Stark going?"

At first, T'Challa realized that he'd completely forgotten he was on a mission. From going to coffee shops to giving presents to the billionaire, it felt as if he was in New York to live a new life until Tony's name got brought up. That's when it sunk in that even if they were slowly becoming friends, Tony was an assignment, which reigned in some guilt for the man who'd helped Tony out the day before.

"It's going good, yes. We talked in my office tomorrow, and he knows some things about Wakanda I wouldn't expect of...well."

T'Chaka smirked.

"Nyan, do not let your preconceived notions act as a vulnerability. Anybody can find anything out, so do not let your expectations deceive the type of man you thought he was when you were leaving for this mission."

"Yes, Baba. Well, we've agreed to meet again so next time, we can exchange information. I'd definitely say we are...allies."

T'Challa noticed how in his mind he'd wanted to say 'friends', but he did not want his father to believe that he was getting too close to Tony and risking the mission entirely.

"That is good to hear. Remember to keep me posted on your progress, T'Challa. Goodbye, Nyan."

"I will do. Goodbye, Baba."

Once T'Challa ended the call, he sat idly in his chair for a while wondering what to do. It was only once the door knocked that his train of thoughts was interrupted. The person knocking turned out to be Okoye, who bowed her head in respect.

"My prince."

"Okoye," T'Challa smiled. "Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, Prince T'Challa."

Taking a seat, Okoye sat and looked at T'Challa with curious eyes which made the king smile.

"Is there something I am missing?"

Okoye shrugged her shoulders and smirked as if she were in on a private joke.

"No...did you mention to your father of the present you gave to Stark?"

T'Challa shook his head and after a few seconds, noticed how Okoye was looking at him. 

"I guess it must have slipped my mind," T'Challa responded.

"Or you're growing fond of Stark and don't want to admit it. It was very nice to give him a gift."

"A gift for his personal assistant," T'Challa assured.

"Nonetheless still very generous for someone you hated when you left Wakanda. If you don't mind me saying, he's growing on you," Okoye grinned and T'Challa felt his cheeks burning as he looked at her with a confused expression. There wasn't much he could say without knowing Okoye would have an immediate response for it, so he simply chuckled, scratching his beard lightly.

"I suppose I do not despise his presence as much as I did," he said, but he wasn't fooling Okoye.

"Or perhaps the two of you are becoming friends instead of just allies."

It certainly caught him off guard and T'Challa cleared his throat awkwardly, knowing that there was not much room for denial between the two of them. Before the matter of the subject went any further, T'Challa looked up at the map of Wakanda posted on the wall far from them and smiled at her with intrigued eyes and a smile on the side of his face.

"Do you miss it? Wakanda?"

Okoye turned to the map and looked back at T'Challa, who was eagerly waiting for an answer.

"Sometimes...but America is not as primitive as I believed, even if the people do continue to stare at a woman with no hair. But next time you change the subject, try to make it less obvious."

 

* * *

 

Pepper had seen her present glowing through the box and had much anticipation for opening it on Christmas Day. Of course, Tony wouldn't allude as to what the gift was but he himself looked at it with interest, thinking about Thomas more and more as he continued to look at it. He'd wondered the origins of the present the ambassador gave to him but for once, he wouldn't completely take something apart and find out how to improve it.

Tony was working on the Mark IV suit, fusing pieces together when Pepper came downstairs to the workshop and interrupted him.

"Tony, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom wants to speak to you about-"

"Iron Man?"

Pepper nodded and Tony rolled his eyes.

"God, that's all anybody wants to talk about nowadays. Tell him I'm busy, and anybody else who wants to meet Iron Man."

Pepper wrote it down and remained in the room, watching Tony go to work on his latest invention.

"So, how was your meeting with Thomas?"

Tony had told some truth as to where he was, simply stating that they were in a meeting about their deal, and realized there was a deal in the first place. Between talking about Wakanda and teasing him about buying lingerie, Tony had forgotten that they were there on official business.

"It was good, yeah. He's definitely more interesting than most people."

"Is that right?" Pepper asked with crossed arms and a tilted head. Tony took a while to notice Pepper's looks and once he put his tools down and wiped his sweaty forehead against his damp grey vest he picked up on it and frowned.

"What's that look for, Miss Potts?"

Pepper couldn't contain her smile and Tony became more confused by the second. 

"It's nice to see you interacting with someone and not ask me to bail you out of it. You seem to actually like this man."

Tony scoffed and returned to his work.

"I enjoy interacting with people...just, you know, not boring or with alternatives. Do you think it'd be too soon to ask for another meeting?"

Pepper's smile reached all the way and she looked at Tony with genuine happiness as he continued to work on the Mark IV suit.

"I suppose not. Do you want me to contact him?"

"That would be great, Pepper, thank you."

Before Pepper left Tony to work on his Iron Man suit, she didn't fail to notice the small smile on Tony's face once she told him she would do so. She knew Tony, and it was actually sweet to see him acting like this. Of course, she had to find out more about Thomas before doing anything in case Tony's feelings got hurt, but she knew what her Christmas present for Tony would be if she could make it happen. Getting him a new boyfriend, and one who didn't make Tony yawn.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, T'Challa woke up in his apartment not too far from the embassy and checked the time. It was early in the morning, twenty-past six to be precise, and a vicious yawn escaped before he rose from the bed and stretched. Usually, in Wakanda, the prince would go on morning runs across the fields and through the forests, so even if he was in a different setting he decided to uphold his schedule.

Tiredly showering and brushing his teeth, he simply put on a black hoodie and shorts before leaving his apartment. On the way down, he observed his surroundings and held the railing as he walked down a flight of stairs until he reached outside the building and looked up at the early sky of New York. The snow had yet to fall on the ground but it was still cold, which T'Challa was more than aware of, but he didn't choose to change what he was currently in.

Running through the streets, he kept on the pavement and passed nobody as he progressed and one benefit of training for the mantle of the Black Panther his entire life was that his agility was much higher than the average human's. He'd been running for ten minutes and not yet broken a single sweat with controlled breaths which notified him of how much he had progressed since his youth. At one point as a teenager, training with one member of the Dora Milaje continuously for hours had forced him to throw up in front of his peers, a moment he swore to himself wouldn't happen again, but did for the upcoming week. But all of it helped him become the man he was now.

Eventually, T'Challa opted to run down the empty road and finally felt the rush coursing through his body as he turned the corner and aimed for the next street. He hadn't been to New York in a while and wasn't familiar with it but with the kimoyo band wrapped around his wrist, he could easily find his way back to his apartment. Running was something that kept T'Challa focused every day, and he enjoyed it especially when it remained uninterrupted. But of course, against his better judgment, T'Challa chose to look up and when he looked down, he'd bumped into someone and went crashing to the ground with said person.

"Ah!" T'Challa winced, feeling his knuckles scrape against the ground and his face collided with the floor. He'd definitely taken the brunt of the fall but usually, he would have been able to get up easily. Right now? Not so easy. He heard the man next to him grunt and moan, mentioning something about his phone. But T'Challa definitely recognized that voice, and when the owner of that voice stood over him, offering a hand, T'Challa wiped his bloody nose and recognized him.

"Oh shit, it's you...you need a hand?" Erik asked.


End file.
